Participatory Territorial Narrative Mechanisms

About the project

Territorial Narrative Mechanisms // Microgeographies is an unfolding territorial narrative by Hariklia Hari. It began in 2011. It consists of short architectural and urban planning stories, aims at researching the transformations of specific socio-geographic environments and produces scenarios of empowerment of everyday life. The narrative of the places evolves through both personal research and work and the activation and coordination of experiential processes of collective observation and narration, such as in situ installations, urban actions, discussions, participatory planning workshops, tours, especially designed and produced for Microgeographies. Each of the places is linked to one or more events. These constitute a dynamic narration of our urban routine. The stories in Microgeographies draw their material from the desolation of Greek cities, relating to the economic, social and personal crisis, as well as from the processes of reinhabiting, reuse and reactivation of abandoned buildings and places. The narrative processes spatial concepts, such as the integration of enclosed and neglected archaeological sites to city life , the examination of the situation of the camp , the (spontaneous) habitation of private and public spaces . The collective narrative is achieved with the collaboration of the community, of city groups and movements, of independent art spaces, of residents and immigrants and also of architects, artists, writers, archaeologists, urban planners, anthropologists and political scientists.

Chapter III: Toi et tes Épaves. The reuse of a deserted office, the rehabitation of an abandoned loft, the revivification of the ancient ruins of Diana Agrotera’ site through the therapeutical use of art performance by artists and the local community, the opening for one night of the historical bookshop of Estia and other microspots of abandonment are presented in a dispersed territorial narration project through microexhinbitions, actions, installations and performances. With the collaboration of

Chapter II: An Accidental Guide to Urban Commoning. The community resistance for the creation of the Landfill in Keratea, the incorporation of ancient ruins in the life of the neighbourhoud by the citizens of Mets, the opening of the Shooting Range in Kesariani initiated by the artist Angelos Skourtis constitute microspots of commoning that are presented by urbanist Hariklia Hari in a dispersed territorial narration project through exhinbitions, actions, installations and performances. The second chapter of the ongoing territorial project of Microgeographies is realised with the collaboration of artists, architects, political scientists, writers, local communities and entities and independent art schemes.

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Hariklia Hari is social urbanist and curator. She is working on art, architectural and cultural practices that enhance the notion of the community as space of production and transformation. Her methodology is based on participatory design practices.

*Microgeographies is a self-organised project; We want to thank ardently all the participating artists and all the contributors to our narrative. Without them, Microgeographies would be but a thought and a dream.